


humans and ghouls, thats kinda of taboo

by vaultkid



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Clothed Sex, F/M, Fluff, NSFW, Semi-Public Sex, fingering over the clothes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 07:26:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7609156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaultkid/pseuds/vaultkid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>slow burn for the first chapter, Hancock and sole survivor female (max) visiting a vault, dealing with racists, thinking about when they took down the covenant and then eventually having sex in semi-public. little bit of fluff, lot of nsfw (soon), will likely continue</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> slow burn: go to chapter 2 for nsfw (ill post it soon haha)

"freak"  
"you come up with that on your own"  
His voice was venomous, it matched with his usual raspy deep tone and caused the vault resident to freeze and leave quickly,  
after he was done gawking.Hancock was used to this by now, but he never failed to strike fear into ignorant aggressors who  
spoke to her in hushed whispers that she'd better "keep that ghoul on a short leash". They'd been exploring vault 80 for a few  
hours now, and Max had quickly discovered that bringing a ghoul in with her as an equal companion didn’t earn her high praise  
or a good first impression. She'd had to haggle prices and charm guards, ignore comments and even tug Hancock by the coat  
when hallway chatter got too heated. She tried to keep out of it, Max wasn't one to kick up a fuss. He didn’t mind seeing as she'd  
already shown her friend where her loyalties lied.  
When they'd run in with the cultist covenant group, she'd stood on shaky ground.  
  
  
\----  
  
  
  
They didn't let ghouls or synths in on their little test. It was to see who was appropriate, who could be let into their closed off community,  
not that Hancock even considered taking it. Max was always guilty of being curious, she wanted to see what was inside and if there was  
anything of value, whether that be information, connections or just merchandise. She'd never felt such a weight on her chest as when she  
stepped through the gates and turned to see Hancocks sunken expression, filled with disappointment and something else… hurt.  
He looked genuinely hurt.  
  
She disappeared into the grounds and as the door swung shut he turned his back. He'd felt bad doing that, giving her that look. But it was  
unavoidable. This town was the opposite of everything he stood for. In Goodneighbour the worst of the worst were allowed in as long as  
they didn’t overstep the welcome. His town was a haven for the unwanted, the undesirables. Here they had a fucking test to make  
sure no one less than perfect got in, and of course she'd passed. She was perfect, her flesh was soft even with the new scars, her morals were  
strong even though she'd learned the new code of conduct. Anyone else in his company who pulled a stunt like that would have gotten a whole  
lot worse from him than just a disappointed look, and even that had been hard. He didn’t want to upset her, but she must have known what  
this meant to him, even if she was just browsing in there. He shook the thought as he leaned against the high brick walls, standing bellow one  
of the dozen turrets lining it. The guards gave him a warning, but he brushed it off and told them he wouldn’t leave til Max was out. Even now  
he was still wanting to make sure she'd get out safe, why didn’t he feel the need to head off he wondered. It took her a good hour to return,  
and although she looked welcoming he stood his ground and nodded in response. "Hey, we have a mystery to solve if you're interested" she  
dared, "I know I said we should help people, but you can't blame me for wanting to leave this lot in the dust" "it's not one of theirs, it’s a caravan  
that went missing just near here, there's a guy inside gunning for them and I think he's right, its creepy in there".  
He pushed off the wall with his heel and walked a little closer than usual, looking down as he spoke "Whatever you want, sister."  
She cringed a little at his snark, but felt her heart race as he spoke so close to her face. It took him a moment to walk past her, indicating he was  
ready to go. Her chest was all tightness and confusion as she followed him, quickening her pace to match his. "I saw a dead brahmin not too far  
from here, must have been theirs" She nodded, deciding to stay quiet as they walked there. It wasn't as if she'd done this in spite of him, she'd  
thought of returning without him but that felt slightly devious. If she was going to check that place out, she didn’t want to hide it in shame from  
him. He must have known she had good intentions, otherwise he'd be a lot angrier than he was now. Even so it burned through her, more than  
any injury she'd received from any other angry ghoul. They searched the bodies, and found proof in the form of exclusively sold lemonade that  
the caravans had passed through, even though the residents claimed otherwise. Further searching eventually lead them to the cave in which the  
caravans had been taken and tortured, the reason being that one was a synth.

\---

Once they'd discovered the hidden prison, it'd been easy for Max to persuade the guards to reason. They'd agreed to walk her through the underground  
fortress and past heavily bolted cells, ignoring faint whispers and pleads from disorientated synthetics being tortured for information, as punishment,  
and likely for fun. Hancock knew enough about Max to know when she was stressed, her hands griped hard onto the holsters strapped to her legs,  
pulling on small pieces of leather poking out. She maintained an icy glare however, cold and calculating. Her first friend in this new world had been  
a synth, as synthetic as one could be. The commonwealth had fairly extreme shared feelings on them, there were few who believed they deserved  
respect and acceptance. Of course she hadn't been around when they'd been discovered, hadn't known the fear of being replaced by the institute,  
hadn't seen people learn their families had been replaced by robots. Hancock had strong anti-institute views, and as mayor of a large town filled  
with frightened citizens he had to show that as much as possible to help public moral. In truth, he knew that some synths were hidden in his town  
by the railroad, he knew that they were using his town as a refuge as well. And he had a policy for providing sanctuary for innocents who needed it.  
  
They entered a room filled with the stench of blood, tables covered in glistening metal tools and the cry of a young woman in the third cage lining  
the high far wall. An older woman stepped forward, her eyes covered with dark goggles and wearing a large lab coat stained with red. She pursed her  
lips and beckoned Max forward, and she followed the wave until she was standing in front of her, stance strong and eyes burning. 

"I'll offer you a deal"  
Max knew exactly what she was going to do, but Hancock wavered for a moment  
"spare the girl"  
"I can't do that"  
Hancock piped in, "do it or else"  
"you'll just have to kill me" the torturer snapped.  
This was the moment he'd feared, he knew she had conflicting feelings about murder, and that this woman was going to kill them  
or demand cooperation. He thought he knew her, but he needed the reassurance. He shouldn’t have thought twice. Max pulled her gun fast and  
shot her dead with three shots to the head. Hancock didn’t even get the chance to shoot, and he was breathless at her quick choice. She turned  
to take out the guard that had followed them, and the pair hunkered down to prepare for the group audibly jogging in their direction and shouting  
commands to shoot on sight. The battle was grueling, but ended with minor wounds, freeing a tortured young woman and a comfortable silence  
as they left alongside each other.  
When they went out, he stayed closer than usual and their hands brushed each other as they walked.  
  



	2. humans and ghouls, thats kinda taboo (chap 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> heres the nsfw content

They kept walking through the vault, and it was getting clear that the residents didn’t tire of giving harsh remarks about max's company.  
Hancock was getting more heated, but max knew he could last a bit longer. She walked down a sharper corridor with less people around.  
"when are we going to head outta this dump anyway" Hancock remarked, trailing behind her and smirking at another staring vault dweller  
"I didn't think you'd be in such a hurry, your comebacks just keep getting better!" "you've been enjoying those huh" he chirped, walking a little faster to catch up to her "I'm enjoying how much they scare the shit out of people, even if they are just being ignorant" "they've been eyeing you a bit too, most people don’t travel with ghouls you know" he was following close behind her now.  "How do they see me?"  
"probably a freak, maybe they think I'm your pet" he smirked, so close she could feel his breath. He leaned in as she stopped and turned to him slightly. "maybe they think you're kinky or somethin" he joked "and that scares them? Weird, I thought people weren't so put off by sex anymore" she responded, relaxed but not pulling away from him "Well in Goodneighbour, everyones clambering over me, its commonplace. Round here though, humans and ghouls, that’s kind of taboo. Creeps them out" They were standing against a wall now, his lack of distance seemed to suggest an idea, he was already leaning against her, his head right near her ear as he spoke. Everything he was doing seemed to suggest something, seemed to make people nearby stare and avoid eye contact at the same time. It wasn't like they'd never flirted, she'd even seemed open to the idea of them being something more, which had made Hancock admit to some ideas he'd been having while walking behind her all day, but this didn't feel like just flirting. "what are you thinking exactly" she ventured, turning to look at him, their faces a few inches apart. "what do you want to do" he asked, seemingly trying to gauge her feelings on the idea. "I want to drink before we talk about any nonsense idea like that" she said back, turning to face forward, leaving him hung and dry. Her face was flushed and he loved it, she didn't blush so easily and he'd finally managed to send her red, and it was glorious victory. The only issue was he'd done it too well, and now her usually cheeky side had switched to a nervous one. But the drink offer was absolutely a good one.

They headed down to the vault bar, met with more annoyed comments by drunk vault members and laughed most of them off. As the night went on Max could feel herself tipsier than ever, and Hancocks idea stayed strong in her mind. Lately when they got drunk together Max and Hancock got a bit touchier. He'd rest his arm over her shoulder or around her waist, they'd sometimes pass out on each other or inspect each others skin in drunken interest (they were just as interested everytime). "make sure you put that ghoul down if it goes feral" a resident barked at Max, "Its disgusting how you let him get so close, how can someone like you be spoiled by something so…" She felt her face burn red, from alcohol and anger. For some reason she felt real rage towards this one, but let her scowl soften as she stood up and walked far into the assailants personal space. The man started to splutter his words, looking flustered by her advance, she spoke a mere 2 cm from his face, her mouth level with his "he's ten times the man you are, and he spoils me spectacularly. This is the closest you'll ever get to me, and you arent even worthy of that" Max spat. "and another thing", she leaned closer, whispering into his ear in the most heartlessly seductive tone "he's just the right kind of feral, you wish you could work me the way he does".  
She walked back from the now bright red, stammering, slightly aroused resident who left almost 5 seconds after she sat back down.  
"what the hell did you say to that dickhead" hankcock cooed, giggling and leaning into her. "I'll tell you later" Max laughed. As they started the long walk from the bar to their assigned quarters for the night, the pair continued to laugh and joke with one another, while also seemingly clinging to each other at all times. Max was always holding onto his arm for support, or he was latching onto hers. As they got further however,the jokes died down and they stayed close. People still stared, but eventually they reached a bare area on their walk. "so" max began "yeah?" He responded, slightly clueless.  "about that idea, to show them a little…" "fun?" he said smoothly back, stepping closer as she turned to look at his face. He was holding his breath but she seemed to stay open as he leaned slightly into her, smelling the vodka on her breath mixing with the whiskey in his. "how about that bench" she replied, pointing to the one seated in the centre of the walkways, out in the open, though no one was around right now "I was expecting you to say we should head back to the bar, though I think if we're that blatant we might get thrown" he joked, already walking towards it. She followed, sitting beside him and resting her legs across his, giggling slightly with the alcohol still strong in her system. He wavered for a moment, realizing what was likely about to happen. "Look Max its all in good fun, but you don't have to help me get back at some group of lowli-" he petered out as she began to kiss near his mouth, looking down at her breathless as she pressed up against him. Before he knew it he'd begun to kiss her, biting until she whimpered and hit him softly for forcing noise out of her. He laughed as she continued the kiss, slightly vacant as she started to reach her arms around his head. He almost cursed when she pulled back, and laid down on the bench in front of him.  
His breath hitched, as he looked down at her quickly rising chest. Shit, this felt great but weird, he loved it but he felt conflicted, what would they be like with each other after this? He'd never thought making out through before, why her? She yanked at his coat and pulled him down to her face, but they didn’t kiss. They looked at each other for a moment in silence.  
"are you ok" she asked  
"are you?"  
  
There was a weird flash of concern for one another, wanting to know if this was, strange or not. "do you really want to do this" he dared She stopped, thought, then her eyes seemed to darken as she spoke. "god yeah" He lunged forward as he kissed her. it was hungry and strong after waiting so long to kiss again. They moved against each other as they kissed, he was now on top of her, body resting between her legs as they continued. She pushed up against him and he mimicked her, before they realised what they were doing the pair was kissing and biting and grinding and grabbing at each other. Max broke the kiss as she let out a loud moan that made Hancock buck even harder and bite her neck at the chance of hearing more of her. She rewarded him with more whimpers and heavy breathing that made him feel like he was losing his mind. Without hesitation he started to quickly pull off his coat, she helped him pull it down his arms while pushing herself forward to keep the kiss going.  
Her nails dug deep into his shoulders once there was only a thin material covering them, he could feel the sharp marks she was leaving as he started to bite her neck again, making a few of his own. "fuck, you trying to turn me feral?" he laughed softly, slightly out of breath.  
"doesn't sound too bad" she replied, her voice still heavy and hot as he started to pull down the zip on her suit. He looked down to see her freckled chest and had to catch himself, looking to her for approval to keep going. She nodded, eyes still dark and expecting as he pulled it further and placed a hand on the peachy skin untouched by sunlight.  
  
"No bra I see… that’s a surprise, next thing you'll tell me you don't wear anything underneath this" he said, moving his hand softly up her chest, pressing against the inside of her breast, still covered by her suit.   
"Afraid you'll have to find out yourself",   
"well what a crying shame" he whispered, returning to her for a deep kiss as he began to press his hand underneath the fabric, moving his palm and circling his finger as she pushed into him with whatever she could. As he went back to covering her neck in dark circles and teeth marks, she looked up to see a light reflecting off the opposite wall. She jolted and hissed at him to keep quiet as she pulled him further down on top of her to escape the beam searching the hallway. The pair with the light were discussing some maintenance issue, but Max was far too distracted by the hand now travelling down her side, pressing against her hip and then resting on the inside of her upper thigh. She had to bite her lip to stop a gasp as he grinned, staring her directly in the face as he started stroking her thigh. She felt anger and an uncontrollable wave of arousal, trying to stop herself from making a sound, punching his side, or moving her body so he could get a better angle. Her eyes were shut, she couldn't handle looking at his smug grin right how as she listened to the strangers shuffling nearby while his hand ventured closer. Her hand hurt as her teeth made marks in it, needing to steady herself as he leant into her side to whisper in her ear.  
  
"do you want me to?"  
  
This was the million cap question, she opened her eyes to look over the bench and see the men holding a flashlight to an open panel on the wall. They didn't suspect anything yet, but she wasn’t sure how quiet she could stay if things went any further. On the other hand, if his fingers didn’t move a few centimeters to the left she felt she was going to scream. She nodded. "tell me doll, do you want me to touch you?"  
"yes… fuck, yes". He rewarded her right away, feeling her over the thin suit, circling his index fingers between the hot fabric. She tried to control her breathing as he continued, begging him on in her mind as he began to whisper daring adoration's into her ear.  
"God Max you're gorgeous" he purred, making her heart jump and her body ache. She held her breath as she turned to see the men start to walk away, praying they'd leave soon so she could let out the sounds threatening to tear through her if she held back much longer.  "Jesus john don't stop"  
  
"don't plan to sweetheart" he answered, continuing to press hard into her with circular rhythms, then pushing further down to drag his finger back upwards at a tortuously slow pace, back and forth.  "Fucking hell max I want to hear you so badly" he continued to pull at her ear as he spoke, tugging at it and almost growling in response to every little noise she made.

Just as she started to feel her pleasure build with some promise, the lights Blinked on above them and more voices became clear a short distance away. The pair froze and stared with wide eyes at one another, then scrambled to sit up. Max quickly zipped up her suit while Hancock grabbed for his coat as they ran from the bench and around a nearby corner, pressing their backs against the wall, neither of them speaking or breathing. Hancock peered around the corner to see four vault dwellers heading to their previous spot. Based on their muffled grumbles it was easy to assume they were not as clueless as previously thought, he could even make out the word 'disgusting' muttered by one of them. He mumbled whilst still watching the small group, appearing to search the nearby rooms.  
"Uh, so what was that about sticking it to these dickheads…"  
"I'm, I'd rather, not, get stuck walking for shelter in the middle of the night and drunk out of my mind."  
"that’s fair" he responded "good call"  
On cue they both started to squat down, skulking away down the corridor in absolute silence until they reached the next block in darkness. The walk remained silent, although it was pretty clear now that they were out of range. Hancock thought it was best to let her speak first if there was anything else to talk about tonight. It was no secret that the sexual tension had faded now, replaced by fear and nerves. He wasn't able to speak to her, fearing all that she felt and what parts she would tell him about. 

\-----

The following morning the pair headed out of the vault at daybreak, maintaining polite conversation and minimal jokes whilst still remaining quite tense. It was decided that, regardless how they both felt about it, Hancock did have to head for Goodneighbour due to a troubling report broadcast over Diamond city radio about a gang seen lurking near the entrance causing some issues. Max offered to come with, but he insisted that her own highest priority right now was getting to sanctuary, and that he had no idea how long his problem would take. Besides, it introduced a promising excuse for some space, which he felt was necessary to try and tackle the event of the night before, not that either acknowledged it. They gave each other a firm hug, then parted ways with churning stomachs that matched with aching fears for the future. 

The trip apart was equally painful for both, they were anxious, lonely and missing the enjoyment of companionship against boredom and the occasional yet inevitable gunfight. Max kept to the road as much as possible, prepared with medicinal and food supplies to last her the days trip. Hancock had lied about his rations in order to spare more for Max, seeing as her trip was a little longer than his. 

As Hancock eventually arrived at his towns front door he was relieved to see it was still standing, and that there were plenty of raider bodies scattered just outside. It had turned out to be a false alarm, news travelling in the time it took for Fahrenheit to take control using her ever charismatic diplomacy and patented minigun. The moment he opened the door of his hall quarters he was welcomed with a cigarette packet thrown at his face and a rare smile from his second in command.  
"Took your sweet time, bet you're sad this place is still standing without you"  
"heh, you kiddin, it's a fuckin relief to know the second I hit the gutter Goodneighbour'll keep spinin" He opened the packet and brought out a thin cigarette, lighting it and taking a deep relaxed breath as the smoke filled his lungs and danced in front of his eyes as he exhaled.  
"that bad hm"  
"what, travellin' alone is tough work, even for yours truly"  
"John"  
Hancock was yet to figure out exactly what kind of relationship he had with her; it was absolutely and totally platonic, at least that’s what he gathered. It was up in the air just how close they were. She'd remained fairly mysterious for a time, but soon become more chummy with him while she appeared to remain aloof with almost everyone else. He took that as an indication of either endearment or manipulation, and it was likely a mix of both.  
"look Hancock, it's honestly fine, the gang wasn't well managed and none of ours were seriously hurt, took tops a day to sort out. It's cause a caravan nearby saw what was happening at the worst point and passed it on in diamond city."  
"I aint here to sack ya, if that’s what you're getting at. I just wanted to check in, see how you were doing"  
She took a drag from her own smoke, then threw it to the ground to stop under her boot. He could be going nuts, but her forehead looked more wrinkled than usual, with her stance and posture much tighter.  
"We're fine, everyones doing their part. I gotta say it’s a little stressful but nothing too hard… Wanted to ask how the trips gone though, haven't seen you for close to a month at this point"  
"uh, yeah it's been pretty great. Took the right punt with that girl, she's a hell of a partner, hadn't picked her for being worth more than a week but here we are"  
"hah, woah, ok"  
"what"  
"really hung up on this one aren't you. Never would have guessed you'd chase a vault dweller, then again most of them turn their nose up at that mess you call a face"  
"man you are so lucky I can take a joke"  
It felt nice to banter again, and strangely validating to even hint at the truth. He gave her a genuine grin which she returned, and they sat for a session of drinking, catching up and more friendly teasing. It wasn't until his forth jet hit that the teasing started to devolve into an actual discussion.

"I just… I don’t know fahren I think I fucked up and for some reason I actually care about that"  
"what, you had sex and ran off as per the usual"  
"hey that’s bull I don't do that, I'm pure charm and grace."  
"so what happened"  
"I mean.…I mean I felt her over the clothes in a vault hallway and we almost got caught half way through and then I ran off… after a mutual agreement that we both had to… hey shut up"  
He was struggling through the explanation as Fahrenheits laughter cut him short, she was getting the biggest kick out of it and he had nothing to do but wait until she was finished.  
"Oh fucking hell john you got her to try public sex first go? Shes a prewar vault dame and you got that to happen? What the fuck hahah"  
"Had enough of you doubtin me babe"  
They shared the laughter in a drugged up haze until she started to speak again  
"Ok, so. Why are you even messed up about this? Pretty sure you should be more proud and less timid right now"  
"Look, how hard is it to believe I might want to keep a friendly connection with this one, I mean with Max. I want, well I don't know I just feel differently. She's…"  
"Woah, didn’t expect that"  
"What"  
"You're turning softer, who knew."  
"hey I.." He peetered out as she handed him a bottle of whiskey cold to the touch. She stood up and stretched upwards letting her voice waver as she spoke.  
"mmm, I would get some rest if I were you. There's plenty of work to get through round here before you run back to her. If you want to get out of here before the end of the week you’re going to need it."  
With that breath of sound reason and advice she staggered out in the direction of her own quarters, leaving the mayor to his clouded room and personal demons.  
"Fuck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG!!! been busy as an apology I'm working on the third chapter today which should be out in the next few hours <3 stay tuned (and thanks for the response so far)


	3. humans and ghouls, thats kinda taboo (chap 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! sorry for long wait ive been busy but I'm really thankful for kudos and comments for more!! Im new here so its cool to see responses and i hope i can post more when possible because I'm really enjoying it! I know I cut off the last chap kinda weird so I finished it and heres another to say sorry for that haha. Dont worry cause there will be be more nsfw content I just ended up writing a pretty long spaced out fic (way more than i expected). Let me know what you think!!

He'd arrived a few hours earlier, but used them to work up the guts to come and find her. She'd know that he'd arrived, and he didn’t blame her for staying put whilst he took his time at the red rocket station on the outskirts of Sanctuary. Macready had been happy to sit and chat for a while, even Nick had joined in for a smoking break and relatively welcoming conversation.   
"I know it ain't my place to say" nick had finally started,   
"but you should go talk to her, I'm not sure if something happened between you two, but she's been pretty distracted, I'm sure you're going to have to start the talk, if theres one to be had that is". Nick piped out as he took a drag from his cigarette, looking down whilst Hancock coughed slightly at his forwardness.   
He'd given a weak laugh, then agreed and hopped off the bar stool to go and find her not 5 minutes after the small boost of confidence. The idea that she might actually want to see him was all he needed to pick up the pace as he walked towards her usual spot.   
It took him a short walk to get from the red rocket hangout to the entrance of her town, showing signs of her return with new partial buildings and even a fallen railroad flag on its flagpole to the left of the gate. She had guts, had to give her that, anyone else would be scared shitless to show affiliation and here she was letting people know before they walked in. She'd taken to being proud of her work in synth protection and freedom, likely to cover the pain of her loss when some brotherhood pals had discovered it. Even one who'd turned out to be a synth had left her side after becoming firm friends, and that drama had left a sting. He brushed his hand against the tattered cloth, then pulled at the rope to hoist it back up into the air and secured it firmly with a couple knots, ensuring the flag wouldn’t slip again for a while. She was likely at her sniping post, reading some comics while waiting for either a mutant raid or his dumb ass interrupting her peace and quiet. She'd talked about loving and longing for that post when they'd been travelling together. Described herself sitting by the open window with no one around, something to read and warm light on her back. He couldn't help envisioning her sitting there, rays warming her up and eyes glued to the book, hair lit up like a soft haze around her head in the sunlight. He could feel the serenity in this image start to calm him down. He hoped it was accurate, and that maybe she wouldn’t stir for a moment when he walked in so he could see her like that for even a second.   
From a few metres inside sanctuary's gate he could see her post, but not very far inside. It was still around noon, which was the usual time she was rostered, but the glare of the sun and the distance made it impossible to tell from here. 

Suddenly there was a glint of silver as a muzzle flash appeared from the wooden box, and his stomach dropped as a sharp sound of metal rang out, only to be accompanied by a soft beeping noise. He turned to the sweetest peace of irony and coincidence, a mutant heading to sanctuary with a bomb to drop was heading in his direction.   
"RAAAUGH!" was the only thing he could hear as he turned and bolted up the path towards the centre of town. He could turn and aim a few shells towards his green buddy, but it was smarter to bring him closer to the post so Max could get a clean shot. He was yelling out in unison with the beast as they neared the big tree that her post had been built around, looking back to make sure he was still the target of this huge oaf with a deathwish and another death wish for him in particular.   
Once reaching the huge trunk of the tree he turned to shoot a gaze at his mutant friends grotesque face, scrunched up with anger and slight exhaustion, just as it burst with the sound of a sniper round hitting him directly between the eyes. Hancock realized that he was standing on one leg, the other up in the air in a petty attempt of protection along with his hands up in front of his face. The body fell to the ground in front of him with the nuke still blinking while strapped to his arm, his body headless and heavy on the pavement ground. After returning to his usual posture and hopefully regaining some dignity, Hancock reached out to disarm the bomb with a click and placed it in the bucket beside him. Just as he did it began to rise, pulled up by the rope attached to its handle and disappearing into a trap door that opened in the floor of the snipers quarters. Not soon after an intoxicating grim surrounded by a mess of hair shot into view and started to laugh at him.   
"You sure know how to make an entrance! Were you trying to prove the Ol mayor of Goodneighbour can still sprint from a suicider?"  
"heh, how do I know this wasn't some devious plot so I'd come and see you as soon as I stepped through those gates ey? Sneaky way to force me outside your door breathless and at your mercy"  
It was the most terrifying, exhausting icebreaker he'd ever experienced; but they were laughing and feeling the relief at both the ease of the reunion and the fact Hancock wasn't in pieces along with the other mutant lying next to him.  
"well you better get your ass in gear since his packs coming up fast" she finished, popping back up into her vantage point and kicking the trap door closed. The sound of a siren rang out from her barrack as she set the alarm for the townsfolk to head to a safety zone near the back of the settlement up near the vault, or to grab arms and help out. He sighed and pulled out his shotgun, back turned to the chorus of angry mutts while he loaded and heard her sniper take out at least 3 brutes as he did.   
He turned to shoot your average supermutant running with a pitiful plank of wood that clattered to the ground ahead of him soon after its wielder. The following two met a similar fate at the end of Hancocks shotgun whilst another 3 fell in the distance.   
"This, seems more than your usual gang huh?" Hancock called up towards his partner as she started to reload her own gun. Her next call downwards sounded less jovial and much more worried.   
"Hancock… I don’t know how to tell you this but-"  
She was interrupted with the clatter of a bolder hitting the middle of the trees trunk, shatters raining into the opening as she ducked to avoid them. He could see a few defensive settlers running in their direction, but not after the few supermutants ahead of them. What looked to be a very puffed Deacon almost rammed into the tree as he ran past Hancock and towards another vantage point in the next house over.  
"You don’t have a fatman up there do you???" Deacon yelled over the sound of the behemoth currently staggering to the centre of town. This little adventure had gone from fun to possibly deadly in a second, and it was time for Hancock to start climbing the tree if he had any hope of survival. Just as he started up the makeshift stairs sticking out from the tree he heard her call out.  
"HANCOCK. MY OLD HOUSE HAS THE FATMAN. FUCKING GET IT."  
He gritted his teeth and gave the tree a small headbutt of frustration before hauling ass in the direction of the bright red door across the street, ducking and weaving in-between hunks of rock clattering around him.   
"DICKHEAD, UP HERE" He heard from the tree as he ran, accompanied by a few grenades being hurled towards the beast.   
She lucked out with a throw and manage to aim one through the metal wire shopping trolley strapped to the back of the monster, which subsequently exploded and lodged a fair bit of shrapnel into its back. The beast roared with anger moreso than pain, and started a beeline towards the tree with the woman wielding a tiny arsenal rather than the ghoul with a shotgun acting as a sitting duck out in the open.   
As he clambered through the door and slipped on the welcome mat he made a mental note to burn it and ask mamma murphy how the hell he managed to arrive at the worst or best moment possible. The Fatman was resting up against the rubbished refrigerator stripped down for parts. As he grabbed it and the single mini nuke ammo inside the skeleton fridge he heard a shriek that made him freeze for a moment. The only image he could see was that of Max slumped over the edge of her fortress, about to be ripped in half by a disgusting mound of flesh with teeth. He ran out whilst loading the deadly cargo just in time to see the behemoth hurtle another rock that Max narrowly dodged by falling down out of sight. She was alive at least, and now he had the means to turn the tide hoisted up over his shoulder.   
"ASSHOLE! GOT SOMETHIN FOR YA" he yelled as he cemented his stance in the centre of the road, bracing one leg behind himself and aiming for a short moment as the beast turned and started to walk slowly towards him, pulling a mangled club the size of a man back behind itself. As soon as it reached back to grab another item to throw, he shot the nuke up into the air and watched as it sailed with a familiar hum and landed in a cascade of light at the feet of the giant creature. The shockwave hit him as he stumbled back, inevitably falling onto his back as his vision blurred with the bellow of smoke.   
A cry of anger beckoned out in front of him as he became painfully aware that his foe was still swinging, quite literally. After barely a moment he saw it step forward out of the black plume and pull its club backwards, preparing to charge and likely smash him into the ground. An extremely familiar hum rang out again accompanied by the sound of Max calling out.   
"HANCOCK, GET DOWN!"A second nuke hit a few metres behind the giant mutant as Max attempted to hurtle it with her own arms, beeping and soaring to land just outside her tree station and making another tremendous burst of light and deafening sound. This time the behemoth seemed to scream as its back burned and bled from the impact, eventually sending it to fall with a loud thud to the ground. Hancock waited, holding his breath and tight pose while sitting up on the ground. He stayed like this until the smoke parted and he saw Max staring directly at him from a partly damaged treehouse. As soon as their eyes met he breathed out a sigh of relief and lay back onto the ground to start laughing and relaxing his screaming limbs and nerves. 

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End file.
